Mother Nature is open for exploration and enjoyment, in spite of superstorm Sandy’s shellacking.

But some parks, portions of parks and other outdoor areas in New Jersey — including several in Monmouth and Ocean counties — will be off limits this summer.

“It’s not that you can’t enjoy the bay, the ocean or whatever,” said L. Stanton Hales Jr., director of the Barnegat Bay Partnership, a long-term effort aimed at cleaning up the bay. “There may be a washing machine or some debris somewhere.”

“Everybody has to be a little more careful this year and if they do that, we’ll have a good summer,” he said.

Before heading into the Great Outdoors, people should check websites or call organizations that oversee parks and other nature areas to see if they’re fully or partially open or closed.

Sandy, which came ashore near Brigantine on Oct. 29, caused widespread damage to federal, state and county parks and other nature-oriented areas. Officials have scrambled to remove downed trees and limbs, collect countless tons of debris and repair trails and other facilities. And they reported good results so far, with most areas reopened to the public.

Sandy Hook, which attracts more than 2 million visitors each year, reopened on May 1 to accommodate anglers. The 6.5-mile-long peninsula is a prime spot for bluefish and striped bass in the spring.

Three beach areas — B, Gunnison and North Beach — will be open by Memorial Day, according to the National Park Service.

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Repairs to Sandy Hook’s wastewater treatment plant were under way, so some beach areas had temporary restroom facilities. Repairs to the ferry service and bike path may not be completed by Memorial Day weekend, according to the park service.

The park has a holly forest, salt marshes and hiking trails for nature lovers, according to New Jersey’s tourism website. More than 300 bird species have been spotted there.

But Sandy had a major impact on Sandy Hook natural areas and the park service is trying to get them back into decent shape, said Kim Kosko, communications director for the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, which is based on the hook.

“I think it’s a difficult task, so I think there’s going to be serious impacts, although I think people will be able to find” alternative activities, she said.

The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, a popular birding spot, covers more than 47,000 acres in Galloway, Barnegat, Holgate and other areas. Its Sandy-damaged Wildlife Drive, which runs through marshland and forest, reopened daily on April 20, according to the refuge.

All of New Jersey’s state parks are fully or partly open, but plenty of work remains, according to the DEP.

The agency hopes that Island Beach State Park, which draws about 1 million people a year, will be fully up and running for the peak summer tourist season.

Karen Livingstone, a spokeswoman for the Monmouth County Park System, said almost everything in the system is open. But Sandy devastated the Henry Hudson Trail, which was closed from Atlantic Highlands marina to Popamora Point in Highlands.

Some Ocean County parks took a thrashing from Sandy, according to Mary Jane Mehorter, superintendent of recreation in the county Department of Parks and Recreation.